Apple iPhone Air vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7

Verdict

Apple iPhone Air and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 tie on the OH Rank at a score of 67. Apple iPhone Air wins on Screen and Main Camera; Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 wins on Battery and Desktop Replacement. Apple iPhone Air is 1.9mm wider than Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. Apple iPhone Air is the more recent release, from Sep 2025.

Score Breakdown

Category

Apple iPhone Air

74.7mm (2.94in) · Sep 2025 · Rank #128

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7

72.8mm (2.87in) · Jul 2025 · Rank #126
Performance /15
11
11
Battery /15
6
7
Screen /15
11
10
IP Protection /15
12
12
Main Camera /15
12
9
Selfie /5
5
5
Video /5
5
3
SD Memory /5
0
0
Software /5
5
5
Desktop Replacement /5
0
5
TOTAL
67
67
Apple iPhone Air
74.7mm (2.94in) · Sep 2025 · Rank #128
11+6+11+12+12+5+5+0+5+0 = 67

EDITORIAL: Like Samsung, Apple has introduced a slim phone this year. And just like Samsung’s, Apple’s new entry replaces the bigger non-Pro model that wasn’t selling too well. 17 Air is the only iPhone this year to keep the Titanium build and the only one to come with just 2 lenses: one on the front and just one in the back. Other then being 5.6mm thin, 17 Air offers the same screen with anti-reflection coating and the same new “Center Stage” selfie camera as this year’s Pro’s. It’s A19 Pro chip has 1 core less and a noticably slower performance when compared to 17 Pro Max. Night mode photos are painfully slow to take. The still and video imaging is very good but remember: you won’t have access to any meaningful zooming or ultrawide action. At least, Air’s battery life is better then Samsung Edge’s. We wish it more luck then iPhone Plus had.

PROs
strong titanium uni-body, good A19 Pro performance, up to 1TB of storage, sharp 460ppi LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED with Dolby Vision screen, great imaging from a single 48MP OIS PDAF main, excellent new Center Stage 18MP selfie with OIS PDAF, stable iOS with up to 6 years of updates
CONs
short sub-24hr endurance from an old-tech lithium 3150mAh battery, slow >90min 25W wired (20W wireless) charging, screen with just 1000nits brightness, only 1 camera on the back, no SDmemory slot nor desktop replacement feature, slow USB-C 2.0 without Video-Out support, expensive (updated Sep 26, 2025)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7
72.8mm (2.87in) · Jul 2025 · Rank #126
11+7+10+12+9+5+3+0+5+5 = 67
FLY

EDITORIAL: Samsung brought it's top 200MP main camera (from S25 Ultra) to their best foldable. It also added AF to the ultrawide but unfortunately kept the telephoto at just 10MP. The phone is now significantly thinner compared to Z Fold 6 (from 5.6mm to 4.2mm when unfolded) but noticably wider compared to past models (72.8mm vs 68.1mm on Z Fold 6 and 67.1mm on Z Fold 5). Battery tech, endurance and charging remain the same, a disappointing performance from the world's biggest phone maker.

PROs
excellent build, nice new colors, fast SD 8 Elite with UFS4.0 performance, >1400nits bright 422ppi (368ppi inner) HDR10+ LTPO AMOLED screens, IP48 protection, good photos from 200MP OIS main + 12MP ultrawide cameras (both with PDAF), 7 years of OS updates, DeX - Samsung's excellent desktop replacement software
CONs
not as one-hand-friendly as it used to be, embarrassing lack of battery tech and performance improvement, 90min 25W slow charging, disappointing telephoto camera performance, no AF on either selfie, no SDmemory slot, Samsung's persistent effort to lock its customers into the phone & accessories echo-system

Both phones here were scored by me, using the same ten categories, with no ads, sponsorships, or manufacturer relationships — this comparison is as objective and honest as it gets.

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